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Dr. Berneece Herbert, chair for the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, has been appointed to the 2023 Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) Review Task Force.
“The revision of accreditation standards is a collaborative and inclusive process that requires considerable expertise drawn from a broad range of stakeholders,” Herbert said. “It is a critical endeavor for academic programs as priorities for education shift over time in response to changing times.”
She continued, “I am highly honored to be selected by the Planning Accreditation Board to be a part of its Task Force. This is a great opportunity for us as a department to be part of a national process that would increase the visibility of JSU’s Urban and Regional Planning- the only accredited Planning programs in the state of Mississippi.”
PAB is the accrediting agency for academic programs in North America leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in urban and regional planning. The PAB has formed a special-purpose task force for the purpose of assisting with the review and revision of accreditation standards.
It will focus on gathering data for the 2020-2021 academic year in anticipation of providing recommendations for the 2022 standards revision. The task force is composed of members of the PAB standards committee, three planning academics and two practitioners. Responsibilities of the task force include:
- Implementing review of existing curriculum standards and core competencies to inform an overall accreditation standard review
- Developing a process to evaluate PAB curriculum standards to ensure relevancy and a culture of innovation while maintaining core competencies
- A review of background material, including, but not limited to: record of compliance and non-compliance with existing standards, recent reports produced by the task force on innovation and communication in planning education, and AICP competencies
The task force will operate until fall 2022 and recommend revisions to the accreditation standards based on its findings.
“Being a part of a national accreditation review process will provide invaluable information to assist the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the continuous assessment of our programs’ objectives and course offerings. The ultimate aim is to be exposed to pertinent information that would help ensure that our curriculum is relevant, flexible and innovative and that students are educated and trained in the appropriate knowledge, skills and values,” Herbert said.